Moving on from The Crown in a decidedly “and now for something completely different” way. David Tennant is our Other Doctor du jour, and the project is a pre-Who miniseries he did with Russell T. Davies, starring in this whimsical bio-romp about the life of Casanova.
In his later years, Giacomo Casanova lives in reduced circumstances as he writes his memoirs. He regales a serving girl with tales of his infamous, salacious exploits in Venice: the love affairs, the career-hopping, and the tireless attempts to carve out a place for himself in fashionable Venetian society. We learn of his arrival in Venice and early rise in reputation, and while we see the beginnings of his sexcapades with a wide range of women, we also see that there’s one his thoughts keep returning to time and again: Henriette.
I’ll admit that I went into this understanding Casanova more as a trope than a historical figure, so there was a lot I didn’t know, and I have zero idea how much this miniseries reflects the actual man, or even just the image he presented of himself. That said, I like the angle taken here, with young Casanova bursting onto the scene as an enterprising social interloper, faking it till he makes it in career, society, and love. And on the latter front, the outrageous sexual exploits play out differently than I’d have imagined too. The pop-culture image I have of “a Casanova” is of a gorgeous playboy bedding and discarding women with ease and fueled by his masculine sexual prowess. But while the miniseries certainly depicts Casanova as being all about those ladies, it frames his irresistibility to them as more about emotional/sensual connections that develop into sexual ones. Women throw themselves at him because he listens to and cares about what they have to say, attracting them because he recognizes them as human beings. Again, I don’t know if it’s true, but I like that.
The miniseries has a fun, frothy air about it, with all kinds of quick cuts and costume porn. There’s a dash of whimsy that keeps you feeling just a little off-kilter, like you’re not quite sure whether you’re still in the bounds of reality, which feels appropriate for the story of such a larger-than-life figure. Peter O’Toole is well-suited to playing the older Casanova looking back on his life, and Rose Byrne plays well off him as Edith, the serving girl listening to his stories. The cast also features Laura Fraser (who I’ll always love as Door in Neverwhere) as Henriette, Rupert Penry-Jones (a former Mr. Rochester) as social/romantic rival Grimani, and a small gaggle of other future Who alumni that includes Nina Sosanya (“Fear Her,”) Shaun Parkes (“The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit,”) Clare Higgins (who recurred in the Moffat era as one of the Sisterhood of Karn,) and Matt Lucas (Nardole!)
And so we come to David Tennant as the young Casanova. Now, in the opening scenes, I did not get this casting at all. Like I said, I had a particular, trope-centered view of what I thought Casanova was like, and while Tennant is probably the most conventionally-attractive actor to play the Doctor since Paul McGann, his physique and bearing don’t scream “sex god” to me (let’s just say that I know Heath Ledger played Casanova in a movie around the same time, and his look/style aligns much more with what I would’ve pictured for “a Casanova type.”) So I saw him on my screen and thought, “Sure, he’s cute and fun, but are all these Venetian ladies really gonna start throwing their panties at him?”
But within the context of the story, I realized it really works. As an ambitious young nobody reinventing himself to fit in, Tennant’s Casanova plays the game well, charming easily as he schemes to rise in society. Likewise, I buy him as a guy who wins women over by meeting them intellectually and paying them earnest attention. This is a connection I never would’ve thought to make, but in the scene where Casanova first meets Henriette, I suddenly flashed on a line from Hamilton, Angelica’s description of Hamilton in “Satisfied”: “intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame.” And Tennant nails that. While Casanova’s drive and passion is focused more squarely on his own fulfillment, not showing much concern in bettering the world around him, I totally get that same Hamilton-like tenacity to rise and be accepted within this higher social sphere.
So, one episode in and looking forward to more! Here are my first-impression reactions:
Accent Watch
Definitely English. Kind of RP, but not exactly posh. There are hints of London in there, which makes sense as a character who’s pretending to be more upper-class than he really is.
Recommend?
In General – I think so, as long as you don’t mind plenty of sex. This is a fun period piece that doesn’t take itself too seriously and is really defying my expectations for what I imagined it would be.
David Tennant – I would. Once I got plugged into how Casanova is presented in this story, Tennant makes a really good fit for the character. He’s an actor I’ve enjoyed in a number of larger-than-life roles, but unlike Doctor Who or Good Omens, we see him here bringing that energy and magnetism to a larger-than-life character who’s still a human.
Warnings
All kinds of sex, language,
drinking, and occasional violence.
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